"Research shows that at least half of our nation’s commercial airline pilots have military or law enforcement backgrounds, and are highly skilled and trained in self-defense.  We trust them with our lives each and every time we board an airplane, shouldn’t we ensure they are equipped to protect us if terrorists threaten our lives?

"On September 11th, terrorists took over commercial flights by using only box-cutters. Think of all the lives that were taken by those simple tools.  No one could have known their evil intent, but now we have an opportunity to stop and deter future hijackings and acts of terror by making sure our pilots – and we as passengers – are no longer sitting ducks. 

"Again, the concept of arming pilots is one that requires responsibility in order to be safe and successful.  The training provided for in this bill is crucial, because it will ensure that every person involved in this program will have proper instruction and will be held to the highest standards of safety.  I applaud my colleagues in the House of Representatives for passing this common sense measure to give our pilots a fighting chance against the evils of terrorism."

(WASHINGTON, DC) – “I am pleased that our President has taken such a strong stand against the shocking trend of corporate scandals.  As a member of the Financial Services Committee, I have listened to the excuses of executives as they try to defend their dishonest practices.  It is time they take responsibility for their own unethical actions.  The practice of big corporate executives cooking the books to keep stock prices up to get multi-million dollar bonuses at the expense of hard-working families is criminal and should be dealt with as such.  There are certain people in WorldCom who ought to go to jail, and there are certain people in Enron who ought to go to jail. 

“The selfish actions of a select few from behind boardroom walls have hurt investors, employees, and our nation as a whole.  I applaud President Bush for calling for a new ethic of responsibility in the business community.  Restoring faith in corporate America is critical to our economic recovery.  It is time Congress reach across party lines to find a common sense solution to this problem.  I will work as a member of the Financial Services Committee to increase investor confidence, make employees proud of their companies, and regain the trust of the American people.”
 

(WASHINGTON, DC)  U.S. Representative Mike Ross (AR-4) Thursday announced that the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development has included in its plan for Fiscal Year 2003  $111,865,000 in projects affecting the Fourth Congressional District.  This plan must be approved by the full Appropriations Committee before moving to the House of Representatives for consideration, then on to the United States Senate. 

“I am pleased to have secured more than $111 million for our district’s energy and water needs,” Ross said.  “This crucial funding will create economic opportunities through studies, construction, and other improvements to our waterways.  Water resources are the key to the longevity of the region as cities, industries, farmers, recreational users, navigation interest, and fish and wildlife all benefit from these resources.  These projects are essential to maintaining or even improving our way of life, and preserving it for future generations of Arkansans.  This is only the first step in the lengthy appropriations process, and I will work hard to ensure that even more projects benefiting our congressional district will be included.” 

The following projects in the Fourth Congressional District have been included in the Fiscal Year 2003 Energy and Water Development Appropriations:

· Montgomery Point Lock and Dam - $23 million
· Union County Domestic Water Supply Facilities - $500,000
· Ouachita and Black Rivers - $6.991 million
· Yellow Bend Port - $147,000
· DeGray Lake - $4.62 million
· Blakely Mountain Dam, Lake Ouachita - $9.444 million
· Boeuf - Tensas Feasibility Study - $400,000
· Bayou Meto Basin - $1 million
· White River Navigation to Newport - $100,000
· White River Maintenance Dredging - $2.2 million
· Arkansas River Levees - $200,000
· McClellan – Kerr Backlog - $3.36 million
· Indian Bayou - $1 million
· Narrows Dam – Lake Greeson - $7.44 million

Multi-state projects including Arkansas are as follows:

· Red River Below Denison Dam (AR, LA, and TX) - $2 million
· Mississippi Channel Improvement 
(AR, IL, KY, LA, MS, MO, and TN) - $38.340 million
· Mississippi River Levees (AR, IL, KY, LA, MS, MO, and TN) - $7.350 million
· Boeuf and Tensas Rivers (AR and LA) - $2.463 million
· Arkansas River Navigation Study (AR and OK) - $910,000
· White River Basin Comprehensive Study (AR and MO) - $400,000